Russia X Reader Scattered Petals (Sequel)
by Icy Rose Petal
Summary: Sequel to Blue Bell Dream! I do not own Hetalia nor its amazing characters. Critique is greatly welcomed! Please Enjoy. P.S: Update Soon
1. Prologue

_Author Note~ In order to respectfully follow the rules of Fanfiction, I've have to turn this to first person. Though I would like you to read as if you are the character! I hopre this works. ;) _

I beamed happily as I slipped through a field of sunflowers. I could the warmth of the sun on my face as pulled on the petals of one flower, smiling at their silky touch. I sighed as I sank to the ground, lying down onto my back. After taking one final smell of the fragrant leaves, I closed my eyes. I felt my body relax as my thoughts floated to Ivan, of his smiling face. _It's been so long… I can't wait to see him! _I sighed happily as I recalled the way his lips felt on mine. I was so caught up in the thought of him that I didn't notice something poke my face. With a hiss of annoyance, I batted it away, just to have it poke me again. I opened my eye slightly, only to jolt into an upright position. The field had disappeared, in its place a forest. Shivering slightly from the cold, I got to my feet, taking in my surroundings. There was snow on the ground, with some bare patches revealing dead grass and dirt. The trees were charcoal black with branches that reached high into the dark sky and were laced with snow. There were tree stumps everywhere with long roots coiling up from the dirt. There was a sharp tangy smell in the air. Timidly, I took a step forward, try to find a source for the poking. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. I whipped around, bolting straight for the thing. It squeaked and ran. With a slight chuckle, I raced after it, only to suddenly trip, landing face first into the snow. Coughing, I turned to see a root tangled around my ankle. I started to pull at it, only to jump back when it started moved. The root started tightening its grip as it snaked slowly up my leg. I started shaking my leg violently and tugging on it, just to have the root start moving up my arm. I was about to cry out when a hand clamped over my mouth. Shaking, I turned around, only to feel instantly relieved. The hand dropped and I smiled up at a familiar pair of violet eyes.

"Ivan!" I tried to move closer to him but he put his finger to his lips. He then leaned over to my ear and whispered quietly.

"Dear… you shouldn't be here…" I shook my head.

"I didn't mean to… I just sort of appeared." Ivan finally let out a slight smile as he glanced down at my leg and arm. I did too and gasped. The root had spread up to my other leg and shoulder. I turned back to Ivan, my eyes pleading for help. With a nod, he slipped out a sickle from his coat and started cutting the roots on my arm. It let out a hiss and started unraveling slightly. He chuckled and he worked his way down. My heart flickered as his gloved fingers brushed against my skin, wishing I wasn't wearing such short shorts. When the final roots crept back into the ground, he wrapped his arms around me, burying his face into my hair.

"Why are you so troublesome?" I smiled and tried to lean back into him, until I felt something cold and sharp against my side. I jumped, glancing over to see that Ivan was still holding the sickle. And it was digging into my side. Confused, I slapped the knife thing from his hand while slipping out of his arms. I then flipped around to face him. He was watching me with bored eyes and a small smile on his face. "You can't sit still, can you?" He stood up and smiled down at me. Right before my eyes his hair began turning into a darker brown, his eyes into a blood red. His coat started to turn into a black similar to the trees. His scarf became a similar blood red to his eyes as it streamed behind him. Surprised by this sudden change, I stumbled backwards to the ground. He let out a chuckle as he walked closer and grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer. "Though I can see why Ivan adores you." I tried to struggle out of his grip but like the plant, it tightened.

"W-who are you?" He smiled slightly as his other hand brushed against my cheek.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He chuckled as he leaned closer and pressed his lips against mine, while slashing something cold against my chest. Suddenly feeling dizzy, I crumpled against him. I glanced down at my T-shirt as it started turning red. Though I hoped it was just his scarf. As my sight blackened, I feebly glared at him. His eyes where shining brightly as he smiled, revealing sharp teeth. "Tell Ivan I said hi."


	2. Chapter 1

I woke up and jumped to my feet from my seat, looking around madly. The person in the seat next to me flinched and scooted a little farther away. A lady dressed in an air attendant uniform walked down the aisle of seats to me and asked me to sit down before moving down to another pair of seats. Confused, I glanced out the window. All I could see was a deep blue sky and clouds that stretched out forever. I bit back the panic as I tried to settle back into my seat. The person, a male, in the other seat paused and leaned over.

"A-are you okay?" I glanced over at his face. He had light brown hair that reached just above his shoulder with dark green eyes. His clothes were a military uniform with a similar green coloring. He had a light accent that seemed quite familiar too. He looked tense as he constantly glanced down at the watch on his wrist. Slightly smiling, I nodded.

"I just sort of forgot I was on an airplane, that's all." He let out a sigh of relief as he also straightened up in his seat, reorganizing the papers he had in his lap. He then turned back to you.

"If you don't mind my asking, what business do you have in Russia?"

"I'm just going to visit a friend." I felt myself flush a little. I wasn't really going to tell him the whole reason. That the only reason why I was here was because of a letter I had obtained from Ivan, my mentor (and lover if I was allowed to say that) whom I had worked with for a food contest during the Galldore Festival. Despite how much fun I was having, I had to leave him early to help straighten out problems with my family business. During that period when I wasn't with him, though I would never admit it out loud, I missed him a lot. So when I received the letter and plane ticket, I left as soon as I could. Ivan Bragniski lived in a frozen little tourist town called Aelite. It was notoriously known for strange creatures that dwelled in the forests near the area, which I had learned from both the internet and my own experience. Though I believed that I don't have to deal with any more Shape Shifters now anyways. Also, for a while I have been learning how to speak a little Russian in order to communicate easier. I am not very fluent but I know just enough to get by. I finally snapped out of my own thoughts to see that I was completely ignoring the guy next to me. From what I could tell, he was mumbling something about business. He then looked up and smiled slightly.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Toris Lorinaitis."

"I'm..."

"…That's a pretty name." I just now realized where I had heard his accent before. It reminded me of a school friend's. _She said she was from Lithuania or something… I_ hadn't realized that Toris suddenly grabbed both of my arms, turning me towards him.

"T_-_toris?"

"Listen, when you are going someplace new, you have to always be on your guard. Not everyone out there is nice. Aelite is no different."

"Wait, how did you kno-?" He let go of me and started organizing his papers again. He was blushing slightly.

"You were talking in your sleep…" I also blushed and looked out the window. The clouds had disappeared and I could make out the land beneath me. The speakers crackled, resounding all around the plane.

"Please fasten your seat belts, we are preparing to land." My heart started racing. I couldn't wait to see Ivan. I glanced over at Toris and saw he looked grave. My dream just then came back to me but I stubbornly pushed it away. I wasn't going to let a dream get the best of me. As we started our descent, I began going over what I was going to tell Ivan.

I am a newbie when it comes to planes. I had a hard enough time getting to the right plane on time and finding my seat. And don't get me started on the lift off. So of course I couldn't find my luggage. I looked up and down the conveyer belt, trying to remember what my bags looked like. _It has two handles and has wheels… its black-ish… right? Or did it have one handle? I_ was starting to wonder if someone stole it and why when I felt something rub against my leg. I glanced down, still clouded with thought, and flinched. Sitting next to me was a huge fluffy cat. Its fur was a dark grey/brown with white markings on its chest. Its eyes were a bright purple that were watching me intelligently. It had a defined pink nose as it rubbed its face against my leg. Timidly, I crouched down and held my hand out to it. Its tail flicked back and forth slightly as it sniffed my hand, before letting out a small "Mrrrow" of satisfaction. Smiling in spite of my situation, I moved my hand to its head and started stroking its fur. It felt silky soft as the cat let out small rumbles of purrs.

"You're such a cute kitty; I wonder where your master is." I searched through its fur for a collar, though finding none. I sighed. "Looks like both you and my luggage are lost. You picked it up, surprised at its weight. The cat pawed at my arm gently. "Hey, you haven't seen a Brown bag get up and walk off, have you?" The kitty purred and started rubbing against my coat. "I hope Ivan doesn't mind cat fur…" Glancing back at the conveyor belt on more time, I walked over to a map sign. After mapping a route for the Lost and Found office, I smiled back down as the fur ball as it started falling asleep. "Your owner is probably frantically looking for you right now." It raised its head, let out another small "Mrrw" and licked my face before settling back down in your arms. Giggling, I picked up my carry-on bag and started making my way through the lingering crowds.

The sitting room of the Lost and Found office was really small. There were already two people in there too. One was a smaller boy with messy blond hair and light blue eyes who sat in a chair, shaking. Behind him was a bag of luggage of which looked very familiar. The other was a girl with light white-beige hair and dark blue eyes. She also had… quite noticeable knockers which made boing noises whenever she moved. She was also freaking out at the recipient at the desk, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

"I can't believe I lost a girl and a cat! Oh no, what's brother going to say? Please, you must find them!"

"Madam, we are trying our best…" She then whipped around towards the small boy.

"Oh Raivis!" The boy jumped at his name and cowered lower in his seat. "What are we going to do?! She could be all lost and alone and frightened!"

"Miss Katyusha, please calm down…"

"And Russcat doesn't know any better! What if he get cornered by a strange lady cat?! THEY COULD BOTH BE IN TROUBLE THIS MINUTE!" Not wishing to become part of the mess any further, the recipient turn towards me and put on a strained smile.

"Welcome, how may we help you?"

"I found a cat wandering around and I-" I suddenly found myself in a fierce hug. The cat let out a startled "MRROW!" and jumped out of my arms and dashed into the lap of the boy. I turned to see that the girl was now crying while holding onto me.

"Oh! I'm so glad you're safe! If something where to happen to you, Ivan would never forgive me!" She then nodded to the recipient and dragged me out the door, the boy and cat following behind. My mind fell into a daze as I tried to piece together what just happened. I noticed that the boy was carrying my luggage bag, along with the carry-on bag. The cat looked amused as he stalked behind.

We were walking out to the parking lot; technically I was being dragged, when I abruptly stopped, causing the boy to run into me. The girl looked back confused.

"What's wrong?"

"It not normal for someone to go with someone else they don't know…" She then smiled.

"Oh silly me, I forgot introductions! I'm Katyusha, Ivan's older sister. This is Raivis Galante, one of my brother's…. associates?" The boy nodded slightly, still shaking. "And that." She pointed at the cat, pouting slightly. "That is Russcat. He is quite a troublemaker." Russcat flicked his tail in acknowledgement and padded up to me, rubbing his head against my leg. I giggled and picked him up, pressing my face against his fur. Katyusha frowned slightly. "Because of him we couldn't wait with you by your luggage. We grabbed it right away and were going to surprise you till I noticed Russcat wasn't in his kennel! We went to go look for him but then remembered we had to wait for you! When we came back, most of the luggage was gone so we assumed you left! I thought we had lost you and Ivan would get so mad at us!" She shuddered, and then smiled again. "But you're here now, safe and sound! So everything is good! The car is just over there." I glanced over at your luggage, mentally checking that I had everything. Raivis then opened the trunk and strained to place the bags in. He then turned to me.

"Do you want me to put Russcat in the kennel?" Russcat let out a hiss and snuggled up closer. I laughed and shook my head. Raivis looked relieved as he closed the trunk and opened the passenger door for me. He then settled into the back seat, sliding papers out of the seat pocket and looking them over. Katyusha was already in the driver seat, humming happily. She started the engine, which made Russcat jolt, fluffing out his fur. Letting out a small chuckle, I stroked his fur back down and glanced out the window as we started pulling out of the lot and onto the road.


	3. Chapter 2

It was a pretty peaceful drive to Ivan's house. I figured winter was just ending, since there was still tons of snow on the fields around the road. Besides the occasional farm house, all I could see were fields and trees. It was really pretty in a frozen kind of way. I figured I dozed for a while because I jolted awake to a startled cry. I glanced to the back seat to see Russcat perched on Raivis's lap, who had fallen over in his seat. He was shaking all over as he watched the fluff-ball wearily. Russcat looked pleased with himself as he purred loudly, creeping forward closer. Katyusha also glanced back.

"Oh, Russcat! That's not nice!" I stifled a laughed and plucked Russcat off of Raivis before he pounced on his face. Russcat flicked his tail irritable before settling back down in my lap. Raivis nodded a quick thank you before trying to pick up and straighten the papers which had fallen all over the seat. Smiling, I looked out the window. We were now surrounded by buildings of a town. The buildings looked old, like they were made of stone and bricks. Yet they were decorated with bright paint colors. The way the patterns swirled around the buildings gracefully was breathtaking. The streets were lined with benches and people making their way around. Signs hung everywhere, half of them I couldn't even make out. With a peek at Katyusha's happy expression, I figured that I must be in the famous town Aelite. Though when we continued to drive past buildings that looked similar to each other (I figured they were the resident buildings), I started to get confused. As if reading my mind, Katyusha pointed out to the road ahead that snaked around the trees that replaced the dwindling buildings. "We live just a little ways from the town. It's a small place, but it's warm and homely." I turned back to the window, my heart started pounding again in excitement. The road turned upwards slightly as the trees became thicker, blocking the sun. It made shadows dance off of the trees, casting a gloomy atmosphere. I watched as they passed by the window, wondering if Ivan changed at all or if he was the same as ever. For a moment, it almost as if I could see him, smiling back at me. I froze. I could see something that looked similar to Ivan, walking between the trees. He was made up of shadows that shifted constantly as he held my glaze, before winking and evaporating into the shade. I jumped in my seat, frantically searching the trees. I turned to see that Raivis, for the first time was still, watching me with interest. He then went back to his normal shaky self as sunshine shot back into the car. I frowned and looked further up the road. The trees opened up to a bright clearing and surrounded it in an oval shape. In the middle of the clearing stood a massive house. It was about two stories tall and spread across the whole field. It was a light brown color with darker roofs that stood out nicely against the trees and snow. There were flowers in the window sills, some of them looking like sunflowers. I glanced over at Katyusha, hoping that this wasn't the place. She simple smiled clueless as she pulled the car in a cleared area next to three other cars. Russcat purred madly as he scratched at the door. Katyusha tsk-ed as he bolted out of her door and off to the trees. Raivis also slipped out of the car and ran off in the general direction of the house, dropping pieces of paper in his wake. I opened my own door slowly, just as Katyusha came around with my bags. She beamed happily as she shut the doors and locked them. "We are going to have so much fun! I believe Ivan is in the bedrooms, something about wanting to surprise you." She then turned and started skip-walking to the house. I glanced back at the trees uneasily before shaking my head and followed closely behind.

The inside of the house was just as amazing as the outside. As Katyusha opened the front door, my heart stopped. In front of me was a huge hall. It was brightly light with two chandeliers that hung just below the floor level of the second floor. As I glanced up, I could see elaborate designs on the ceiling. On either side of me were doorways leading into the eastern and western parts of the house. In front of me, near the back of the hall was a spiral staircase that led up to a small stripe of the second floor, which contained another doorway that lead deeper into the house. There were a few paintings scattered on the walls, along with small tables holding vases of flowers. Not sure what to do with my bags, I placed them down near the front door. Katyusha disappeared into the door on my right. I stood there quietly, debating on following her or stare at the ground. I settled for the ground. Even the tile pattern of a spiral was breath taking. It was starting to become over whelming. Trying to concentrate on something other than my surroundings, I noticed a cat staring at me from under a table. It had snowy white fur with blue tints. Its eyes were a dark icy blue that peered out creepily towards me, full of distrust and dislike. On its head was a pink bow. I crouched down to the ground and held out my hand, making a small clicking sound with my tongue. It blinked its eyes and crept forward, flicking its tail back and forth. It sniffed my hand delicately and sneezed. It studied my hand for a minute or so, and then glared at me. With a hiss, it scatted off. I stared at the spot it last was, confused. Then I remembered that I was petting Russcat a while back. _It must not like the other cat…_ Getting up, I looked around. I sighed and started debating what to do again when I heard a familiar voice above me.

"You are here!" I looked up and smiled. Ivan was running down the stairs, his face lite up with a smile. When he reached the ground, he raced over to me, nearly tripping over himself. I laughed happily and met him half way, being swept up, embraced in a hug. It felt right to be in his arms again. I began to remember the smell and touch of his skin, the way his hair brushed against my face as he buried his own face against my neck. He gave me a tight squeeze before pulling his head back, still holding on to me. He looked annoyed as he looked me up and down. "I think you might have grown taller…" I giggled and tried to pull out of his grip.

"Anything wrong with that?" He smiled and pulled me closer, pressing his forehead against mine. I could feel his warm breath as he whispered quietly.

"I missed you." I blushed slightly as I stared up into his eyes. I had forgotten how deep of an amethyst color they were as they observed me. I felt myrself smile as I leaned upward and pressed my lips against his, pulling away quickly.

"I missed you too." He looked stunned as he blushed. Then, with a smile, he pulled me back and tenderly kissed me. I let out a muffled sighed as he hugged me against him, his hand twisting into my hair. My own arms wrapped around his neck. I felt his tongue slip between my lips, connecting with mine. We broke for a second to breath, before coming together again. I now knew for sure that Ivan missed me just as much as I had missed him, which secretly made me thrilled. I started losing myself in the moment, I almost didn't hear Katyusha.

"AWW! You two are so cute!" We both flinched and broke our lips apart. Ivan looked flustered as he stared at the ground. I glanced over at Katyusha, who was standing in the doorway beaming happily. "I'm so glad you are back to your old self, what with you mopping around the house and st-"

"S-sister…"

"You weren't even working on the café, making the Baltics do everythi-"

"Sister…"

"All you did was lounge around and stare at her pictu-"

"SIS!" Katyusha flinched and was suddenly on the verge of tears.

"Nooo, don't be mad at me brother!" Ivan looked even more flustered then before, which was really cute.

"Ah, no, it's just. You don't have to tell her that… I didn't." He looked at me for help. I laughed and placed a hand on his cheek. He relaxed slightly, though his face was still flushed. Katyusha was smiling again as she watched us. She then looked up towards the stairs.

"Oh look! There is Natalia! Natalia, come down here to meet our guest!" Ivan visibly froze. I frowned slightly and glanced up at the top of the stairs. Standing there was a girl who looked to be maybe the same age as me. She had long white-grey hair that reached down to her waist. She had piercing blue eyes that were very similar to the cat from earlier. In fact, she wore a white bow on top of her head that matched the blue/white dress she wore. She wore an apathetically glaze as she stared at me. Ivan moved behind me, placing myself between them as she walked down the stairs. When she reached us, she studied me carefully, looking slightly annoyed. Unfazed by this, I straightened up and took a step closer. Well, tried to anyway. Ivan was clinging onto me tightly. I smiled up at her.

"Hi! My name is [F/N]." She simply stared at me then looked over at Ivan.

"Big Brother, why do you hang out with girls like her when you could have me? What do you even see in her?" I glanced back at Ivan, puzzled. Ivan paled slightly.

"Natalia…I-"

"Big Brother! You should marry me! Marry me! Marry me! MARRY ME!" Ivan shrank back behind me.

"Nwiet! I don't want to marry you!" Natalia looked annoyed. I felt rather confused. She then sighed and held her hand out to me.

"I'm Natalia. Ivan's little sister." I took her hand gingerly and shook it. Katyusha giggled as she grabbed Ivan's hand and placed it onto of ours.

"Now we can all be the best of friends!" I smiled with her as Ivan looked away sheepishly. Natalia smiled a touch before letting go and walking out the front door. Katyusha pouted slightly. "Don't tell me you are going to town? Don't you want to help show our guest around?" She simply glanced back, glaring at me, before walking out. Ivan and Katyusha sighed sadly. Then Katyusha turned to me and smiled.

"Are you hungry?" I nodded, trying to remember when I last ate. She nodded back. "I'll whip up some dinner while Ivan shows you around. Have fun!" She then walked into the doorway to the left. Ivan watched her go before turning to me, smiling slightly.

"So what do you want to see first?"


	4. Chapter 3

Ivan's house was big. And when I say big, I mean HUGE. He first led me through the doorway to the right of the main hall. It opened up to a room that had a similar décor to the hall. In the middle of the room was a couch and two chairs, all organized around a fire place that was currently lit. Closer to us sat a desk with a laptop computer. Along the walls were bookshelves packed with books. Ivan then pointed out to me three doors near the back of the room. The one on our left was a bathroom; the middle led to a game-like room and the one on the right was the office room. After a final quick glance around, Ivan grabbed my hand and brought me in the general direction of the kitchens, located on the left side of the hall. There was a hallway to separate the doors that led to the front of the kitchens and the front of the dining room. In the dining room was a semi-long table that looked like it could seat about six people. Over it was a chandelier with glass carvings of birds all over and under it. We briefly poked our heads in the kitchen, just to be shooed out by Katyusha. From what I saw, the kitchen had more of an old fashion feel to it, what with the cabinets and stove being made of bricks. Ivan then brought me upstairs. The hallway was slightly narrow and led straight to the back of the house, ending in a huge window that was the only source of light in the hall. Down the sides were about eight different doors/corridors. Ivan started pointing out whose room was whose, the first two on either side of us belonging to Katyusha and Natalia. He then quickly pulled me right past a small corridor that was on the right side. I glanced down it, noting there was a door hidden by the shadows. Puzzled slightly, I turned to ask him what was down there, but Ivan was already pointing out other rooms. The three doors closest to the window belonged to friends of his. He then smiled as he pointed to the door closest to us on the right, telling me that was his room. He turned to the room across from his and turned the handle, flinging the door open.

"This is your room!" I gasped, feeling myself blush slightly. The room was a favored color of mine with compatibly colored dressers. There were two windows on either side of the room with lacy curtains, with a massive bed between them. I walked over to the bed, unconsciously rubbing the smooth fabric between my fingers. I noticed that my bags were already brought in, the luggage opened and most of the clothes already gone. Puzzled, I walked over the drawer and opened it, finding my clothes all folded neatly. I gave Ivan a questioning look, but he simply smiled, looking very pleased. "You like it, da?"

"Of course but…" I glanced around again and blushed, staring at the ground. "Isn't this a little too expensive for me?" I felt my head being tipped up gently as Ivan pressed a hand against my back, pushing my closer to him.

"Nothing's too good for my Tzarevna." I smiled and punched his arm playfully.

"Where did you pick up that line?" He chuckled slightly as he pulled me against him, placing kisses from my shoulder to my jaw. I suddenly felt self-conscious and tried pulling away. He glanced at me puzzled. I nodded my head to the door, which was still wide opened. Ivan rolled his eyes as he started planting kisses on my cheek. I started to sigh but then he crashed his mouth against mine, pushing me against the dresser. When he parted for breath, I had an urge to tease him. He was about to come back but I pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't you think you should slow down a little?" For a moment, he looked annoyed as he gently grabbed my hand and placed his forehead on mine.

"I haven't seen you for forever. I want to make up for lost time." I flushed up as he released my hand, which moved to rest on his back. He leaned forward and nibbled on my neck gently.

"I-ivan, I…" I started shaking from pleasure as his hands moved slowly down my arms, his breath warm as he continued to place his lips on my skin. I slowly sank down to the floor, Ivan mostly on top of me. He chuckled happily as he pulled away and stared into my eyes.

"You really are so adorable." I pouted slightly, which made him laugh even more. He cupped my face with his hand and nuzzled my face. "Don't worry, I mean that in an adorably sexy way." My heart skipped a beat. Gently, I nuzzled him back, feeling oddly relieved besides beyond happy. I think Ivan could sense it because I could feel him smile as he rested his head on my shoulder. We sat there for a moment, soaking in the company of one another. I had just then finally remembered where we were. I glanced at the door way and froze. Natalia was leaning against the frame with a distinct scowl on her face. I felt my face redden as she continued to glare at me before clearing her throat. Ivan twitched and raised his head to see who was there, before flushing up. Natalia just stood there for another moment or so before turning her back to us.

"Dinner is ready…" She then walked off in the hall. Ivan and I shared a glance of embarrassment before Ivan stood up, regaining his composition. As he helped me up, he grinned slightly as he started straightened up my clothes. I pushed him away playfully as I finished the job. He laughed as he took my hand and pulled me out to the hall, closing the door behind him.

When we came into the dining room, the table was surrounded by four chairs. The air was full of different smells of spices. Natalia was already sitting down in one of the chairs on the long side while Katyusha was placing plates on the table. She smiled at us as we came closer. Ivan walked over to a chair on the end and pulled it out of me. When I sat down, he moved to sit across from my spot. By then Katyusha was already sitting in her chair too. I noticed the other chairs were moved to the side of the room. I then remembered that I didn't see Raivis at all. I turned to Katyusha, puzzled.

"Where is Raivis?" She looked confused for a moment too. Then her face brightened up.

"The Baltics told me they were too busy to eat with us today!" I felt even more confused.

"The Baltics?"

"They are my friends!" I looked to Ivan, who was smiling happily. "Also they more or less work for me. We call them the Baltics because they each are from one of the Baltic countries, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Funny, da?" I smiled as I glanced over at the dishes lying in the middle of the table. The whole middle of the table was covered with foods, different courses like salads, chicken, and something that looked like meatballs, along with rye bread in baskets. Though I couldn't figure out what the pot in the middle had. Katyusha must have realized this because she got up, grabbed the pot, and place some of it onto my plate.

"This is Borsch. It's a soup usually with a meat base. Since today is special I made all sorts of courses! I hope you like them all." I nodded my thanks as I dipped my spoon into the helping. When I tried the soup, I sighed happily. It tasted of a mixture of beef and chicken, with some other spices mixed in to enhance the flavor of the meats. I looked towards Ivan, who was also helping himself to the Borsch, along with some of the meatballs. He smiled to me.

"You like it?"

"Of course!" He chuckled as he placed his own spoon into the soup. Natalia just sat there silently as she nibbled on some bread. Katyusha looked very pleased with herself.

"Well then, you better eat up!"

Dinner was almost unbearably awkward. Natalia kept staring down at her plate as she ate, not looking up even when Katyusha tried to ask her questions. Finally giving up, she turned to me. She started asking questions about everything from "Where do you live?" to "What hobbies do you have?" When she cleared all the basic questions to her satisfaction, she stayed quiet for a moment. Then she turned back to me. I was completely thrown off by her next question.

"So, how do you feel about Ivan?" I nearly choked on my food as Ivan let out a cough, both of us starting to turn red.

"W-what?" Katyusha blinked.

"I was wondering how you feel about my little brother? From what I can tell, he really likes you." Natalia glanced up for a second then back to her food. Katyusha smiled her clueless smile as she waited patiently. I looked towards Ivan for help, but he was pretending to examine the table.

"I-I… I really like Ivan a lot. He is… well…" I felt myself go a deeper shade of red as I started ripping my napkin in my lap. By now Ivan was watching me curiously. "I-I… L-love him…" I glanced up at Ivan who was now smiling happily. Katyusha was too as she beamed.

"So do you guys have any sexual tensions?" I froze in my seat, not sure what or how to feel. Ivan stood up from his seat.

"S-s-sister?!" There was a sudden snap as something hit the table. We all turned to Natalia. She held a piece of a spoon in her hand as the other part lay in front of her. She was shaking as she stood up. She lifted her head and faced me. Her eyes were cold with a fiery fury as she regarded me.

"What do you even know about Big Brother?"

"Um…"

"Do you know what his favorite drink is?"

"S-Smoot-?"

"What he does when he is bored?"

"Um..."

"What type of flowers he likes?"

"S-sunfl-"

"What he does in the evenings? What's his favorite color? What he loves to wake up to in the morning?"

"Um, W-wait! H-hold o-"

"What is his favorite animal? Wh-"

"NATALIA." We both turned to Ivan. His eyes were a deep purple as he glared at Natalia. "Leave. Her. Alone." Natalia looked even more pissed.

"Brother, why are you defending her? You know she is just going to leave you in the end!" Ivan visibly flinched. I went pale as I stared down at the table. Tears were trying to form but I shook them away, not wishing to make it more of an issue. I felt something on my arm. I looked over to see Katyusha gently pulling me up and led me out of the room. I glanced back to see Ivan and Natalia arguing intensively. I felt sort of sick inside. When we were in the hall, Katyusha patted my head.

"Don't worry; this was going to happen sooner or later. You see, Natalia loves our brother very much… So she started feeling jealous when you came around." She smiled slightly before pushing me towards the hall. "Why don't you go exploring? That would be fun, right?!" I nodded slightly, still feeling bad. She gave me a quick hug before walking back to the dining room. When she opened the door, I could still hear them yelling.


	5. Chapter 4

With a heavy sigh, I plopped down on the plush couch, feeling sour. I watched the flames in the fireplace flicker as I tried to examine the argument in my head. I hadn't realized till now how unsettled I felt about it. _Ivan had looked so hurt when she said I'd leave him…_ As I stared into the fire, my mind slowly starting to numb. _I don't get why she has to act so hostile to me. It's almost as if I was planning to kill someone or something. _It confused me how one little moment could ruin a whole day. With another sigh, I jumped back onto my feet.

"It's not like pondering about the past can change anything. Might as well at positive!"

"Me-ow" I blinked, slightly surprised at the response. I looked at the general direction the cry came from, crouching to the floor. Two blue eyes stared at me from underneath the couch. It was the strange cat from earlier. With a smile, I held out my hand to it. It studied my hand and quietly prowled forward, tail swishing slightly.

"It's okay; I'm not going to hurt you." It blinked its eyes and gave me a cat-like glare. Before I could blink, it raked its claw on my hand before darting out of the room. A little too late, I whipped my hand back. I mumbled a curse as I examined the long scratch that ran across the back of my hand, blood just forming around the wound. I felt annoyed as I debated on ignoring it or washing it off. I glared in the direction the cat ran off, just to see it by the doorway, staring at me. "Shesh, what did I ever do to you? You act just like Natalia." It simply blinked its eyes and stalked off. _I wonder how Russcat can stand that one around…_ As I thought about it, I began wondering where Russcat even was right now. _I could sure use some cuddle time right now. _I stood up and walked to the main hall, figuring that Russcat wouldn't probably be near the other cat. I glanced at the other doorway and shook my head. I made my way up the stairs and down the hall, briefly glancing in Katyusha's and Natalia's room. The other cat was sprawled on Natalia's bed and glared at me. _So it's Natalia's cat. That's terrific. _I then noticed how dark it was getting. Outside the sun was just sinking behind the trees, casting shadows in on the walls. I debated on continuing to search or go to my room. While making up my mind, I started walking forward. Suddenly, a wave of nausea swept through me. I sank to me knees, gripping the wall shakily. When the feeling passed, I looked to my right, realizing that I was standing in front of the odd corridor. I glanced down the hall, recognizing my door, and then turned back to the corridor. It stood gloomily in the shadows. I remembered how hurried Ivan seemed to skip it, without offering any explanation. I knew I should just leave it alone but curiosity got the better of me. Looking around one more time to make sure no one was around, I made my way to the door that was hidden in the dark. From what I could tell as my eyes adjusted to the change of light was the door stood at least eight feet tall. The wood color was a dark brown, making it next to impossible to find the handle. Rubbing my hands along the surface of the rough wood, my left brushed against something cold. I figured it was the handle, tracing the design with my fingers. The handle was represented vines and decorated with leaves. Hesitantly, I grabbed the handle with both hands and gave it a quick pull, expecting it not to budge. Despite its size, it swung open with ease. I poked my head in to make sure it was safe before slipping through the opening. The room was round and small. There was one window in the back that let in the fading light of the sun, filtered through the trees. The walls of the room had huge claw marks, revealing the wood of the wall behind the fading paint. The carper was all tattered. I had to make my way carefully as I walked to the small raged table that sat in the exact middle of the room. On it was a book. And it was completely wrapped in chains. The book, oddly enough, had a bright colored cover that was decorated in stickers of all kinds. One sticker upon the book was particularly intriguing. It was a big smiley face in the dab middle of the cover. It had bright white teeth and huge black eyes that almost seemed to watch me. I must have been staring at it too long because I started imagining it talking.

"Open me… Please. Open me…" Almost instinctively, my hand reached out to the book in a hypnotized motion. The face seemed to grin bigger has my fingers wrapped around the chain, starting to pull on it slightly. I then felt my hand being grabbed and pulled back. Surprised, I started to struggle as an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me against something. I felt a head brush against my hair as it leaned to my ear.

"Don't ever touch that book." From what I could tell, the voice was male. With a quick jerk, I managed to slip out of his grip. I whipped around to face him, much to his own surprise. He had short blond hair that was neatly combed. His eyes were a light blue that complimented his dark brown glasses. He looked grave and slightly confused as he examined me. "W-wait, you-"

"Don't ever touch me again." I didn't mean to snap at him but I finally went over the edge. I felt tired and stressed from most of the events of the day. He looked discouraged as he tried to block my exit.

"Wait, wait! Let me introdu-" I stormed out of the room, ignoring any attempts of communication with him. I went straight into my room, slamming the door so loudly that even I flinched a little. I shifted through my nightly routine swiftly before laying down in my bed, pressing my face into the pillow. I tried to ignore the guilty feeling I had inside as I concentrated on happier thoughts, though my mind kept on wandering back to the dream and the book. A little while after that I heard a small knock on the door. After a minute or so, Ivan muffled voice sounded from behind the door.

"Tzarevna, what' wrong?"

I looked towards the door, wondering if he would barge in if I didn't answer. When a few more minutes passed without a sound, I heard his footsteps lead away. With a heavy sigh, I placed my head back down onto the pillow. I felt guilty about ignoring him but right now my mind was buzzing with questions and anger at myself for what happened today.

"Maybe I really don't know him at all…" I felt tears finally escaping, slipping down my face. I also felt weak, something I had sworn not to feel ever since the Shape Shifter. _Maybe it would have been best if I didn't come at all… _I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard a small noise behind me.

"Mrrrow?" I turned to see Russcat curled up on my bed, his head lifted up as he watched me with questioning eyes. I smiled slightly as I reached over to scratch behind his ears. Happily, he started rubbing his face against my hand before getting up to walk into my lap. When I started stroking his soft fur, he purred, which started to calm down me a little. I picked him up, ignoring his protest, and held him close to me. He brought his face up to mine and poked my nose with his. I giggled while he sneezed.

"You're so cute Russcat." He then started licking my tears with a rough warm tongue. I laughed and gave him a kiss on the head, which made his fur fluff out. "I wonder, what would you do if you were me?"

"Rrrw Mrrow" I tilted my head to the side, wondering what he was saying. He jumped down from my arms and padded over to the door, placing a paw on it. He looked back at me expectantly. Curious, I got up from the bed and opened it. He slipped out and stood at Ivan's door, pawing at it before looking back at me. I giggled again.

"I guess you want to be with your master." I went to the door. I glanced down at Russcat before lifting my hand up to knock.

"Mrrrow!" I froze and looked back to the fluff-ball, who was standing on his back paws as he tried to reach for the door handle. I chuckled before picking him up.

"I guess it wouldn't be nice to wake him up." As quietly as I could, I turned the handle and walked into the room, closing it behind me gently. Ivan's room was similar to the one he had at the Bazar furniture wise. It was currently dimly lit. I studied the walls, which was covered with huge painting-like pictures, noticing that they flowed in a pattern of a story. I recognized the Firebird from a book I read when I was little, though I didn't recognized the boy that stood under it, holding a shiny red feather. Beside him stood a huge black horse. Some of the other pictures contained the same boy and horse, occasionally the firebird too. I was too busy studying the walls, I hadn't noticed that Russcat had left my arms and was now sitting next to Ivan, who was sleeping. I quietly moved next to his bed, watching as his chest steadily rose and fell. There was something about him when he was asleep that reminded me of a little kid. I held back a laugh as I tried to image what he looked like when he was little. I glanced over at Russcat, who was also watching Ivan sleep. He then lifted a paw and started pawing Ivan in the face. Ivan tried to shake his head as he groaned and moved onto his side. Russcat seemed unfazed by this as he started poking Ivan in the neck with his nose. Ivan then pulled up the cover over his head and Russcat, who crawled out of there quickly. He looked a touch annoyed as he sneezed adorably. I tried to reach out to pick him up but he darted away and leaped up onto Ivan's head, digging at it.

"Mrrrrrow! MRROW!" I snatched up Russcat quickly, whispering to him harshly.

"What are you trying to do?" His bright eyes were filled with amusement as he purred to me before turning his head towards Ivan.

"Mrrrow!" I heard Ivan sigh and roll over to face us, pulling the covers back. His eyes were a light purple in this light as he yawned, looking sleepy.

"Russcat, what do you wan-" He froze when he saw me. I blushed and looked down to the ground.

"Um... hi."

"H-hey." I glared at Russcat as he jumped down and sat next to Ivan, purring louder.

"Russcat wanted to come in here, probably to sleep with you..." I turned around towards the door, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry for waking you up." Before I could walk away, I felt Ivan grab my hand. I looked back at him surprised.

"You don't have to leave." He then pulled me backwards onto the bed, wrapping his arms around me.

"I-ivan, I-" He chuckled as he pulled the blankets around us. I blushed a deeper red as I placed my head on his chest, for a moment listening to the beating of his heart. Russcat had moved over to my back and was lying against it, purring contently. After a moment of silence, Ivan moved his hand and started running it through my hair.

"I'm sorry…" I glanced up at him.

"For what?" He sighed sadly.

"Today didn't go as smoothly as I hoped…"

"Oh! No, it's okay! Perfectly fine. I still had fun!" He regarded me carefully before smiling slightly.

"I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

"Why, what's tomorrow?"

"I was thinking of showing you the café tomorrow." I gave him a small smile.

"I'd like that." He chuckled before closing his eyes and settling into the pillow. I noticed that his bangs were all ruffled. Instinctively I reached up and brushed them to the side. He opened his eye slightly and smiled before yawning. I yawned too, feeling sleepy. "Ivan?"

"Mmm."

"Good night."

"Spokoynoy nochi."


	6. Chapter 5

I woke up with a start, breathing heavily. Russcat hissed in annoyance at me before settling back down on the pillow. I couldn't recall where I was as I observed the walls before glancing down on the bed. Ivan was still sleeping, his arms around my waist as he snuggled up closer to my chest. I blushed as I tried to relax myself.

"It was just a dream… nothing to be afraid of…" I sighed, making a mental note to quit talking to myself aloud. I looked back at Russcat, who was watching me with bored eyes before closing them. I rolled my eyes before checking the time on the alarm clock on the bed-side table. 8:00. With a small yawn, I tried to carefully move out of Ivan's grip. He mumbled something in his sleep before pulling me closer against him, a stubborn look crossing over his face. I bit my lip to keep from laughing as I gently started to move his arms away, only to have him push them back. I let out an exasperated sigh as I forcefully tried to wiggle out. He made a small "Uh-ah" noise before moving himself on top of me. I flushed up as I unsuccessfully tried to push him off. "Um, Ivan?" I heard a small laughing noise coming from Russcat. I glared over at him. By now, Ivan had started to stir in his sleep. He opened his eyes and looked up at me with a small sleepy smile.

"Dobroye utro sunflower." I giggled as he yawned. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well, thank you." He snuggled against me happily and started dozing off again. I groaned and flicked him on the nose. "Didn't you promise to take me somewhere today?"

"B-but its early…"

"I don't think eight o'clock would be considered early." He jolted, glancing up at me.

"What time is it?" I looked at him puzzled.

"Eight o'clock… " He practically tripped out of bed as he started running around the room.

"Why didn't they wake me? We are going to be late…" he then turned back to me sharply. "Go get ready. We have to leave quickly." I blinked.

"Why? Where are we go-" Ivan huffed irritable and pushed me out the door.

"Nyet, don't ask questions." Russcat barely slipped out of the room after me as Ivan closed the door briskly. I walked into my room, feeling rather dazed. Russcat plopped down on my bed and started to lick his fur, occasionally glancing up at me with interest. I felt a little disturbed as I began to change out of my clothes but then shook my head, telling myself he was only a cat. Just as I slipped on my shirt, Ivan walked into the room. Without a word, he grabbed my hand and started pulling me out of the room. "Come on, we are going to be late!"

"But Ivan! Where are we go-"

"Nyet! No protest." He casted me a smile before continuing to storm down the hall. As we passed the corridor, I shivered a little. I looked back to see Russcat trying to hurry after us. Ivan suddenly stopped abruptly as we were making our way through the main hall, causing me to bump into him. Katyusha was standing in front of Ivan, hand on her hips.

"Brother, where do you think you are off to?"

"Sister! We are late!"

"Even so, you can't leave on an empty stomach."

"B-but sister…"

"No buts." Ivan pouted a little.

"Can we go if I promise to buy some food right after I show her the place?" She sighed as she moved to the side.

"I guess you can. But be safe, okay?" She then turned to me and smiled. "Have fun dear! Make sure brother doesn't drag you around too much, okay?" I nodded. I tried to return her smile but Ivan was already walking out the door, with me behind him. Russcat tried to follow but Katyusha picked him up. "Russcat, I'm sorry, but you can't go with them. You are going to get a bath today." Russcat tried to struggle out of her arms, hissing in annoyance. I gave him an apologetic look before turning back to Ivan.

"So where are we going?" He simply smiled.

"You will see."

Bored, I watched the trees of the forest pass by us swiftly as Ivan sped down the road. He kept mumbling about being late and occasional swear words. I glanced over at him, noting the way the air around him seem to freeze up, his eyes turning a midnight purple. I figured it would be for the best not to bug him. Instead, I watched the trees passed by. They reminded me of the dream I had last night…

_I shuddered as I walked, alone, through a long and twisted hall, glancing up at the pictures on the wall. They were all paintings of war and death. The air seemed to get colder as I walked closer to a doorway at the end of the hall, which seemed to stay the same distance away no matter how fast I walked. Before I knew it, I was running, my free hand reaching out towards the light. It was only then I noticed that I was carrying a scarf in my hand. The scarf was covered in blood, glowing in the light. After a moment of running, I feel to my knees, trying to catch my breath. I glanced behind me, seeing only blackness that stretched on for ages. I turned back around and jumped. The hallway was gone, replaced with a forest clearing. In the middle of the clearing was an object covered with vines. Hesitantly, I got up and walked over to it. The vines were black as they twined around the object tighter. A little scared, I took a step back, bumping into something. Frozen, I willed myself not to look back. I felt something grip my arms and spin me around. My eyes meet with gently purple ones and I relaxed a little. Ivan smiled slightly before looked over at the object on the ground._

"_It's no good… we need to get it free." I tilted my head, puzzled. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came. Ivan then glanced down at the scarf in my hands and smirked. "There is no further need for that." He reached out a grabbed it, yanking it out of my arms. I tried to protest but he held it just out of my reach, smiling. In front of my eyes he ripped it apart to shreds, dropping them to the ground. My heart lurched as I tried to scoop down to pick them up, tears daring to come out. Ivan sighed and pulled me up, turning me towards the object. He leaned over and whispered into my ear. "Sunflower, I have a small favor to ask of you. Can you please remove those vines?" I shook my head stubbornly, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. He sighed and spun me back to him, tilting my head up to him. "I guess I have no choice…" He leaned down and kissed me roughly. I squirmed, feeling that something wasn't right. My heart started to pound as my body started to feel weak. I stopped struggling completely. When he broke away, I looked up to him dazed. He smirked as he pointed to the object. Without a word, I turned and crouched down. My head started to scream at me to stop but my body didn't register as I reached out and grabbed a handful of vines, tugging them away. Pain shot up my arm but I ignored it as I ripped the vines away. Slowly, the object became visibly. I could see a bright yellow peeping out from the plant, then black. Before I knew it, I was staring at a huge smiley face. I turned back at Ivan puzzled. He nodded at me to continue. I went back to my painful task till in my hands I held a book. I mentally gasped as I recognized it to be the same one from Ivan's house. I felt arms wrap around me and looked back to see Ivan grinning. Though his hair casted a shadow over his eyes. In the light, it looked as if everything about him was darker. Before I could comprehend what, he turned my head back to the book. "You really are a sweet heart. Now could you do me one last thing?" I stared down at the book as the words open it started to drift around my mind. I placed my hand on the cover and started to lift it slightly. I glanced back at Ivan and soundlessly screamed. His eyes were a bright red that glowed hungrily, his scarf arching behind him. He looked towards me and smiled, gripping me tighter. "What's wrong Tzarevna?" _

I snapped out of my thoughts, shivering. I looked around, noticing that we were now in the village. I turned back to Ivan and sighed in relief. He glanced at me with a small smile, looking slightly confused, before focusing back to the road.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing special. Just about last night." He chuckled lightly, placing a hand on my leg.

"So I'm guessing you like here so far, despite…"

"Yeah…" We both fell silent for a moment.

"Hey, Ivan?"

"Mmm?"

"C-can I stay in your room more often?" He beamed happily.

"Da, of course you can!" I blushed slightly. The car once again fell silent.

"So, where are we going?"

"You will see."

"Can't you give me a hint?"

"I can do more than that." He turned the car down a small side road in-between the buildings, parking next to another car. He started to hum as he got out of the car and opened the door for me, before covering my eyes with his scarf.

"I-ivan?"

"I can't spoil the surprise yet!" I could hear laughter in his voice as he gently nudged me forward.

"Fine... But you better not let me fall." He leaned forward and whispered into my ear, sending shivers of pleasure down my spine.

"Trust me Tzarevna." I could sense him opening a door and scooting me in. Scents filled the air, smells of berries and of a bakery. I racked my brain, trying to figure out what it was. I could also hear voices in front of me but as I got closer they died down. I could sense Ivan's excitement as placed a hand on my face. "You ready?" I nodded, feeling him pull away the scarf. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the lights and gasped. We were standing next to the counter of a café, looking out to the lounging area. The walls were light blue, making the place brighter. In the corner was a fireplace that was currently not lite, with a dark brown couch facing it, where someone was sitting. Around the area were other chairs ranging from different browns and cream colors around small tables. In the corner was dinning like chairs around a little bigger table. The counter held two cash registers and a glass display of pastries. Behind it over head was a sign listing all types of goodies. I could see a smaller kitchen space behind the wall. There were about five people already in the room, sitting down with pastries in front of them or mugs. And they were all looked over at us. I blushed self-consciously, looking back at Ivan, who was staring at me expectantly. "So do you like it?" Breathlessly, I nodded, smiling brightly. He laughed and hugged me, causing the people around us to cheer. Blushing, I buried my face in his chest. I barely heard the voice behind me.

"So this is the young lady that had your heart." I looked back to see a small older lady standing behind me, holding an empty dish. Ivan beamed brightly.

"Hello Mother Dostoevsky, what can I do for you today?" She smiled and pinched his cheek.

"Just do you best Mr. Bragniski. Make up for the last month of sloppy-ness." Ivan blushed and bowed his head.

"Will do." She smiled and dropped her dish off in a bin before walking up to the register. Ivan twinned his fingers in mine and brought me behind the wall, nodding as Raivis ran out towards the counter, nearly tripping as he passed us. The kitchen was simple, complete with a larger oven and a long counter with ingredients laid out along the wall. In front of us was a worker with his back turned to us, humming happily as he cut up some fruits. He seemed kind of familiar. "Hey Toris, come here. There is someone I want you to meet." He jumped slightly.

"Oh, coming Mr. Bragnis-" He paused, staring at me. "I-it's you…" I froze, suddenly feeling awkward. Ivan looked at both of us confused.

"You guys met before?" I nodded.

"We sat next to each other on the plane."

"Really? Then you should know each other well!"

"Y-yeah… pretty well…" I felt my face getting warm. I could tell that Toris's was also flushing up. Ivan looked pleased as he walked to a door farther down the room.

"Then you won't mind waiting here while I get Eduard, da?" As he disappeared through the door, I stared down at the ground. I felt two hands placed on my shoulders. I looked up right into Toris's face, his eyes filled with concern.

"You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous. If I had known…" He sighed, turning away. "But I guess that can't be helped now…" when he faced me again, he had a small smile on his face. He held out his hand to me, which I gingerly took. "You already know this but I'm Toris Lorinaitis." I giggled.

"It's nice you meet you Toris." Ivan had just then come back, dragging another familiar face after him.

"Good, you two are getting along well! Now, this is Eduard. Eduard Von Bock." I frowned slightly, remembering last night. He looked slightly uncomfortable as he adjusted his glasses and held out his hand.

"I-it's nice to meet you…"

"L-likewise…" Toris glanced back and forth between us, looking concerned. Ivan just smiled happily.

"Oh, and that is Raivis, but you knew that." Raivis nodded a small hello. He then looked down at the ground nervously. Ivan then looked up at the ceiling with an innocent smile on his face. "Now, there was something I'm forgetting… oh yes." He placed a hand on Raivis's head, making him jolt. "Someone forgot to wake me up this morning. Was that you?" He was still smiling as he pressed his hand down. Raivis squeaked.

"I-I was g-going to sir, b-but you b-both looked s-so p-peaceful t-that I d-didn't want to w-wake you." Ivan stopped for a moment, still smiling. I blinked, wondering what was going on. Both Toris and Eduard were looking away, sighing. Ivan simply pushed Raivis, making him fall over. He sighed then turned back to us, making the other two jump.

"Back to work everyone. We have customers out there."

"Y-yes sir!" All three of the scattered away. Smiling happily, he turned back to me.

"They are hard workers, but sometimes I wonder…" I started at him for a moment. He stared back. Then he squirmed a bit. "W-what is it?" I smiled.

"Nothing, just thinking how cool it is to own such an amazing café." He blushed, beaming happily.

"You think so?" I nodded. He then took both of my hands in his. "Then do you want to work here?" Now it was my turn to blush.

"What?"

"Work here! You know, you are going to be around for a while, might as well do something, da? So do you want to work here with me? We would be making smoothies together!"

"I would love to!"

"Ufu~ then what are we waiting for?" He walked out of the room for a moment and came back with aprons in his hand. "All workers are required to wear these for uniform sake. The dress code is pretty relaxed, except for nothing too revealing top wise. Nor can it be offensive." I took the apron, which was a blueberry color, and tried it on. It reached just to my thighs. Ivan helped me tie the strings in back. He looked me up and down and smiled. "Be nice to costumers, treat them well, the norm for a business. Mmm… we open at eight in the morning and close at three, though you don't have to stay that long if you don't want to. I usually stay till noon, sometimes one. We aren't open on Tuesdays or Thursdays." I tilted my head puzzled.

"Why is that?" Ivan looked up to the ceiling thoughtfully.

"I just thought they would be nice days not to work." I shook my head, laughing.

"Makes sense."

"I think that is it… Let's do our best!"


	7. Chapter 6

I leaned against the counter, bored. The clock was beginning to tick towards noon. I could tell why Ivan usually left around about now. There were only two costumers lounging around (one of them was even sleeping), compared the bustling herd we had to deal with earlier. It seemed like many people adored coming to this shop. As Ivan greeted regulars, many of them had pointed at me, winking at Ivan, who simply nodded with a huge smile on his face. Half the time when this happened I blushed and tried to concentrate on the smoothie I was making. But slowly the flow of people slowed down to a trickle. When this started happening, I became bored. I figured that since there was nothing to do, I could have fun messing up Ivan. I continuously was sneaking up on him and hugging him, sometimes stealing kisses. He got so flustered with this that he shooed me away to work the cash registers with Toris. With a sigh, I glanced over at Toris, who was currently washing the glass of the display counter.

"Toris?"

"Yes?"

"How do you keep the boredom away?" He laughed, not looking up from his task.

"Usually I talk to Raivis or Mr. Bragniski when there aren't many customers."

"Huh… Why do you call Ivan Mr. Bragniski?"

"Mmm… I don't know. Just something I'm used to doing I guess." I smiled.

"Okay, why did many of the customers say that Ivan has no excuse anymore for sloppiness?" This time, Toris glanced up at me, a little surprised.

"You didn't know?" I looked at him confused.

"Know what?" He walked back over to my side of the counter and leaned over it with me.

"For the last month Mr. Bragniski was… not himself at all. He would daze off constantly, trip over stuff, even walk into the woods… It even became so bad that his smoothies suffered. They never tasted right. So of course, a lot of the regulars started to take notice. When they asked him, he would shake his head stubbornly and walk off." Toris looked around carefully before leaning in closer. "And between you and me, he was becoming quite difficult to work around."

"Quite difficult? He was downright impossible!" We both looked back to see Raivis behind us.

"I heard that Raivis." We all jumped at Ivan's "cheerful" voice from the other room. Raivis started shaking as he walked back to the kitchen. Toris coughed before turning back to me.

"So, I had to find out from Katyusha that he was mad at himself."

"Why would he be mad at himself?" Toris smiled a touch.

"Because he wasn't able to spend enough time with someone he was starting to really adore being around." I sat there for a moment confused before I pointed at myself.

"Wait a minute, me?" Toris nodded. I covered my face with my hands, becoming flustered. "So that's why I got so much attention…"

"Da! Because you're my special little Sunflower." I raised my head from my hands to look over at Ivan, who was beaming happily. He had taken the apron off, hanging it on a hanger behind him. 'Ready to go?" Still a bit shocked but happy, I nodded while taking the apron off. He turned to Toris as I hung it up. "Make sure to watch the shop while I'm gone, da?"

"Of course Mr. Bragniski. Have a good day sir." Ivan took my hand and led me out the back way. I waved to Toris as we left. I then turned to Ivan, smirking at him.

"So you were lovesick for me?" Annoyance flashed across his eyes as he looked away embarrassed.

"Maybe I did…" I blushed slightly as I hugged his arm.

"I'm happy I'm not the only one…" Ivan sighed in relief as he leaned down to kiss me before opening the door to the car. "So are you hungry?" I opened my mouth to respond but my stomach growled loudly. Ivan chuckled as he pulled out a small paper bag out of his pocket. "I grabbed some of these while leaving." He handed it to me. I studied the pastries in the bag curiously as I sat in the car, waiting for him to get in on the other side. They were little round circles, like doughnut holes, yet covered in chocolate or powdered sugar or even nuts. I picked up a chocolate one and hesitantly popped it into my mouth. I could feel the hazelnut of the chocolate melt as I bit in, tasting the soft doughy bread underneath the chocolate.

"This is amazing! What is it?" Ivan chuckled, looking pleased.

"It is Kartoshka! I take it you like it then?" I nodded my head, eating another one. I watched as he settled down into the seat, sighing happily. He noticed I was watching him and looked away embarrassed.

"So Ivan, where are we going now?" He leaned back and stared at the ceiling of the car thoughtfully.

"Well… usually I go home from work unless Katyusha has an errand for me to run. So we can do whatever you want to do."

"Oh no, I'm fine! I was just wondering in general." He chuckled as he turned on the car and pulled out of the lot.

"Well if there are any stores you see that sparks your interest, speak up, Da?"

"Da!" Though I felt like if I were to stand and walk around any longer, I would fall over. I was content to watch as we passed buildings that were now starting to become familiar to me. As I observed a parent walking with their kids, my mind wandered to family picnics, which lead me to think about running through the woods with my brother when I was younger. I wondered for a moment what it would be like to walk through the woods outside the house. I laughed softly, shaking my head at the thought. I glanced over at Ivan to find him watching me with an amused expression on his face.

"What is it?" I blushed.

"Nothing, just trying to imagining what it would be like to walk in the woods outside your house."

"W-what?!" Ivan's eyes lit up in surprise as he paled slightly. "Why would you want to know something like that?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"I thought it would be fun. What with the trees looking creepy and all…"

"Trust me; it wouldn't be fun at all. It is downright dangerous." He turned back to the road and sighed. "There could be tigers and bears out there."

"In a little patch of woods?" He glared at me irritable.

"They are bigger than you think." I frowned.

"Even so, bears wouldn't attack without reason, would they? You could just keep them away with noise I think…."

"Still, those woods are eerie and just plain out creepy. Don't go there."

"But Ivan…"

"NYET!" I flinched. He paused and shook his head. "Just don't go there, okay?"

"Bu-"

"O-kay?" I bit my bottom lip to keep myself from retorting back. Silently, I nodded. Ivan seemed to relax slightly until we turned up the road. He started acting all jumpy, twitching at every shadow we passed. He finally talked to me when we go to the house. I followed him into the living room, not sure what to do. "I'm sorry, but I have some business with Francis. " I tilted my head.

"What do you do with Francis?" Ivan smiled slightly.

"I have to help out with the family company, as I am the eldest male in the bunch. Really, the only…" He sighed sadly.

"What is the company for?"

"Oh just stuff." He hesitated for a moment before leaning down and kissing my cheek. "See you for dinner." He then disappeared into the study, leaving me standing there. I stayed put for a moment, unsure of what to do now. I noticed a small fluff of grey fur under the couch. Smiling to myself, I crouched down and poked it, receiving a small "Mrrow" in response. The fur disappeared for a moment, replaced by a head. Russcat looked up at me sleepily before sliding out into the opening. Giggling, I picked him up. His fur felt softer than before, probably because of the bath I assumed. He sniffed my hand before rubbing against it, purring. I was about to sit down on the couch when I heard a small hiss. Russcat stiffened in my arms and started to quiver. I felt something trying to climb up my leg. I looked down to see the same female cat from before glaring up at me. The scratch on my hand throbbed at the thought of last night and I scowled. Russcat rubbed against me, his eyes pleading with me. The other cat now was sitting down on the ground, staring up at him. It was only then that it dawned on me that the she didn't hate him. She probably loved him but he wouldn't have anything to with it. I then shook my head, smiling. _Cats couldn't have that much drama in their lives… could they? _ My thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling.

"Belacat, where are you?" The female cat turned to look over at the doorway. I followed her glaze just as Natalia walked into the room. She caught my eyes, half- heartedly glaring at me. She walked to Belacat and scooped her up in her arms, cooing to her. "Was the mean lady not letting you play with Russcat? My poor little one." Belacat started to purr, rubbing against Natalia. I rolled my eyes. Ignoring me, she turned to face the hallway. "Come on; let's go out to the woods." I perked up slightly.

"You are going to the woods? I thought Ivan doesn't like that." She looked back at me over her shoulder.

"Yeah, he doesn't like but… I do it for his own good, to protect him."

"To protect him? What do you mean?" But by now she turned away, walking out to the Main hall. I followed, feeling lost. "Natalia, what do you mean? Protect him from what? Natalia?!" She gave me one last look before closing the door behind her. It was the last expression I had ever expected to see on her. One full of sadness and sympathy. I was barely aware of Russcat's meowing as I tried to comprehend what happened.


	8. Chapter 7

The rest of the week flew by in an uneventful way, though it was far from boring. I was able to be with Ivan nearly 24/7, which made me very happy. I could only guess that Ivan also enjoyed my company as well, the way he smiled down at me and wrapped me up in hugs. Despite this, I couldn't seem to shake the memory of the forest from my mind, nor of the "other Ivan". He kept appearing in my dreams, beckoning me to come to the forest, which also seemed to draw closer every time I passed it. With every dream, he became more demanding and impatient. The book also appeared with him at times, though I couldn't figure out the connection; only that it had something to do with him. I tried to not let it show to Ivan that I was still interested in the forest, which I couldn't tell if he noticed or not. Despite his warnings, I couldn't stand not knowing anything. I had to investigate. But how… The Baltics seemed to avoid me and Ivan would get mad if I asked. Natalia rarely even acknowledge me. I was so caught up trying to figure a way that I slammed into Katyusha, causing her to drop the basket of bread she was carrying. I murmured an apology, leaning over to pick up the bread. She looked down at me surprised then smiled when I handed her the basket.

"You seem to be lost in thought dear. What is on your mind?" I shook my head, not sure if I could tell her. She tilted her head to the side. "It doesn't look like there isn't anything going on. Did you fight with Ivan?" I looked up at her startled.

"No! We didn't fight, it is just…" I bit my lip, contemplating what to say. "There is something that has been on my mind… Something that I wanted to ask Toris but whenever I try, he seems busy." She watched me thoughtfully before smiling cheerfully.

"Tell you what, tonight at dinner I can arrange the seats so you sit by him and Ivan. Then you could ask him there. Does that sound good?" I returned her smile and nodded.

"Thank you very much Katyusha!" She laughed.

"Of course! Good luck."

I sat patiently in my seat, watching Katyusha as she placed plates onto the table. I had offered to help but she politely refused. I fidgeted a little, glancing at the door nervously. The only flaw in the plan was if Ivan over heard me asking Toris, since he would be sitting next to me and all. I looked down and started to fiddle with me silverware. I didn't notice that Ivan came into the room and was standing behind me, watching.

"That's not where you sit." I jumped and turned to face him.

"W-what?" He continued to study me, curiosity written all over his face.

"That isn't where you sit. Usually you sit over there." He gestured over at the end of the table. I flushed.

"Today I wanted to try somewhere different, that's all…" He observed me for a few seconds more before smiling.

"That means I can steal off of your plate now, da?" I rolled my eyes as he helped Katyusha with the dishes. By then the Baltics had begun to wander in, talking among themselves. Raivis gave me a questioning look before sitting down in my seat. Toris also looked confused as he sat down next to me. By then Ivan had also seated himself. Katyusha looked around and sighed, pulling a chair away from the side across from me. Natalia was usually absent from dinner, I assumed so she wouldn't have to see me. Ivan told me not to let it bug me, that Natalia just needed some time. Finally Eduard and Katyusha sat down before we began to eat. I waited patiently for the right moment to ask, debating when it would be safe. I figured that if Ivan was talking to someone else, he wouldn't be able to pay attention to me. Though I would have to make sure not to interrupt Toris in a conversation. I sighed, thinking that this was becoming more trouble than it was worth. I then noticed that Katyusha was asking Ivan about one of the regulars to the café. I glanced over at Toris to see that he was staring down at his food, thinking. I took a deep breath, playing with my food absently mindedly.

"So… Toris." He looked over at me and smiled slightly.

"Yes?"

"There has been something on my mind… I've been wondering about the forest." He looked like he was about to interrupt but I hurried along. "It isn't like I want to go there or anything; I just wanted to know, like, what's so weird about it? Why does nobody go in there?" He gave me a small, tired look. He shook his head slightly as he started to push the potatoes to the side of his plate.

"It really isn't something you should inquire into… it is for the best if you leave it along." With a finally smile, he turned to Raivis and asked about buying more fruits tomorrow. I sighed irritably. I glanced over at Ivan, who was smiling at me. For a moment I was worried that he had heard our conversation, and then relaxed a little as he leaned forward, placing a hand on mine and giving it a small squeeze. My heart fluttered a little. I smiled back at him before turning back to my plate. He frowned a little, before smirking. Before I could protest he stabbed a slice of chicken and pulled it off of my plate. I glared at him as he plopped it into his mouth, smiling confidently.

"I told you that I could steal your food now." I playfully nudged him under the table, only to be nudged back. Slowly, he crept his fork back to the edge of my plate. I watched him carefully, waiting. We sat still for a moment, waiting. Suddenly he flip his hand backwards and expertly stabbed the other piece of meat on my plate. He was about the retreat back when I pressed my hand down onto his wrist, leaning over. With my mouth I pulled the chicken off of his fork and ate it. I smirked at him proudly. He stared at me, amusement flickering across his eyes. I frowned and then blushed, realizing how awkward that must have looked. I turned to see that everyone else was watching us. They all looked away, smiling slightly. My face became redder as I glared at Ivan, who chuckled. I ate the rest of my dinner quietly, listening to the conversations around me. Finally, Ivan excused himself and stood up. He ruffled my hair as he passed, exiting the room. I offered again to Katyusha to clean up but she laughed before refusing. I followed the Baltics out into the main hall where they separated. As I watched them, I remembered about the forest and sighed under my breath. I then realized that even though Toris didn't say anything, maybe Eduard or Raivis might. Raivis was just going up the stairs now. I glanced around to make sure there wasn't anyone else before sprinting forward, grabbing his hand and pulling me back. He spun around, looking surprised before he started shaking.

"G-good evening miss, w-what can I do for you?"

"Raivis, I want to know more about the forest around this house that everyone seems to avoid. Can you please inform me more about it?" His eyes widened as he shook his head.

"T-that is not my place to talk about m-miss…" He slipped his hand out of my grip and hurried up the stairs. I clenched my fists as I turned away. _Why can't I know?_ I pondered for a moment as I walked into the living room. I spotted Eduard sitting on the couch, reading a book. I took a deep breath, trying to relax.

"Hey… Eduard?" He glanced back at me.

"Yes miss?" I looked down at my hands.

"I was wondering if you could tell me a little about the forest. You see, I really want to know why everyone avoids it…" I stole a glance at him curiously. He sighed and looked back at his book.

"I am sorry, but it is not something I can inform you about. That question is best to be directed at Mr. Bragniski. He is working in the study." I bit my lip and murmured a thank you. I walked slowly to the door of the study, hesitantly placing my hand on the knob. With one final sigh of defeat, I turned the knob and poked my head in. The room was an oval shape and was currently lit dimly. The walls were a light cream color, lined with filing cabinets and shelves. In the middle of the room was a desk. On top of it was a computer and tons of piles of papers neatly organized. Ivan was busy typing onto the computer when he looked up and smiled at me. He gestured for me to sit down in a chair in front of the desk. Timidly, I slid into the room, closing the door silently. Ivan turned back to the computer as I sat down. Instead of taking time to study the room, I studied Ivan. His hair was a little messier than usual, his bangs nearly covering his eyes. His brow was knitted in concentration as he paused now and again, watching the screen carefully. The light of the screen brightened his eyes slightly, making them more of a lavender color. His lips looked soft as they turned into a small frown. I blushed, embarrassed that I was even thinking about that. I looked down at his scarf, which was parted slightly to reveal his neck. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes traced the outline of his shoulders down to his hands as they moved swiftly but gracefully across the keyboard. His hands move away from the keyboard, causing me to look back at his face. He was watching me carefully with a small amused smile on his face.

"See something you like?" I felt my face warm up as I turned away, pretending to be interested in a cabinet. I heard Ivan chuckle softly as he got up, moving towards me. I looked back to see him pulling up a chair and sitting next to me. I glanced down at my lap, still blushing. "So I noticed you have been investigating about the forest…" I stiffened, a wave of guilt washing over me.

"I-I'm sorry, it j-" He lifted my head up, pressing a finger to my lips.

"Nyet, it's okay. You are just curious." I tried to look away but he held me still, leaning forward slightly. "It's dangerous though. You shouldn't try to unravel the secrets behind it anymore. I wouldn't want my Sunflower to get hurt." I started to shake as I felt guiltier.

"Ivan… I'm sorry. I won't stick my nose in anymore, I promise." He smiled as he pulled me forward into his lap. I snuggled my face against his neck as he placed his hands under my thighs. I shuddered slightly as I pulled my head away and placed my lips on his. He squeezed slightly, causing me to bite his lip. I broke away, apologizing. He laughed as he moved his hands to my arms, pulling me back again. I placed my head onto his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. I sat still as I listened to his breathing. I then sighed.

"I'm distracting you from work, aren't?"

"Mmm… it's a good distraction." With a shaky laugh, I placed my hands on his chest and tried to push away.

"You should finish what you are doing so you can get to bed. You were up very late last night." He studied me as I tried to struggle out of his grip.

"I'll only let go if you sleep with me tonight." I stopped for a moment, blushing.

"If you want me to… I guess I could." He smiled and pulled his arms away. I slid to my feet, stumbling as I tried to take a few steps back, my legs feeling wobbly. "Should I bring Russcat with me?" Ivan sighed as he stood up as well.

"He would probably scratch at the door all night if you didn't." I smiled before pressing a kiss on his cheek.

"That's for incase I accidently fall asleep if you are late."

"I'll just wake you up anyway." I pouted.

"You better not." I walked through the door, glancing back.

"Have fun with work." He groaned.

"I will try…" I giggled before closing the door. My heart was still pounding though I felt considerable lighter than earlier. Humming happily, I almost skipped to the stairs.


	9. Chapter 8

_Author Note: Aww! I'm sorry for the long delay. School started and you know school. .-._

I nearly tripped down the stairs as a streak of grey/brown whipped past me, followed by a white one. I rolled my eyes as Russcat stopped on the top of the steps for a moment to catch his breath, glancing back at me with a pleading look in his eyes. Before I could do anything, he scampered off again just as Belacat leaped at him. I ran up the stairs and searched around for them, for they disappeared as quickly as they appeared. I noticed that many of the doors were open a little and sighed. They could be anyway by now. With a shrug, I continued on my way, seeing that Russcat could probably fend for himself. I then noticed something out of the corner of my eye, pushing against Natalia's door. From what I could see, it was white. I smiled mischievously and sneaked up behind it.

"Belacat, Russcat does not want to play with you! Leave him alo-" I had placed my hand onto it. Instead of feeling fur though, it felt like weird fluffy Jell-O. With a small yelp of surprise, I withdrew my hand, taking a step backwards as the thing whipped around. It was practically a white blob with big sky blue eyes. Under its eyes were lines that kind of looked like glasses, reminding me of Alfred. He let out a small squeak of annoyance before dashing down the hall at incredible speed. I watched it go before instinctively running after it, mentally trying to straighten out what just happened. When I realized I couldn't see it anymore, I came to a halt, glancing around again. I then heard a small chuckle, coming from the direction of Eduard's room. I look over to see the blob staring at me with a small smirk on his face. It watched me for a moment or two before disappearing from the entrance. I felt a little unsettled as I came to the door, nudging it open a little more, peeking in. Without warning, I felt something wrap around my wrist, pulling me into the room. I looked down in alarm as I watched the white hand instantly let go of mine, causing me to free fell onto my face. With a groan, I lifted my head slightly with the little blob right in my face, smiling happily.

"I am America!" on its right side popped out a little American flag. I stared at it, completely baffled. Hesitantly, I nodded, awkwardly pushing myself into a sitting position.

"I-it's nice to meet you..? I'm-"

"Rubbish." I glanced up, noticing for the first time that there was a bed a few feet away from me. On top of the bed was another blob thing. It had a top hat tipped to one side with big bushy eyebrows, its black eyes boring into me. Behind it were two other of the things, curled up next to each other, sleeping. From what I could see, one looked similar to the America one, yet he had a little curl of a hair and was cuddling against a stuffed polar bear head. The other had cute eyes and a small w shaped mouth. To the side of its head was a curl. It yawned slightly and rolled over to face me, though I wasn't sure if it had awoken or not, on the count that the eyes weren't opened. The bushy eyebrow one jumped down from the bed and glided over, studying me intently. He then gave out a little huff and turned away. "Why is she here?" The other one smiled at him.

"She is guest!" He glared at him.

"You can't just invite people here!" America pouted.

"But she wants to see!"

"Not everyone who sees you brooding about the house wants to be taken there!"

"Bu-" Finally getting over the fact that they could talk, I coughed, hoping to get their attention. As if on cue, all four of them turned to me. I felt a little uncomfortably, fearing slightly for my safety or sanity.

" Um… question? Who are yo-"

"It's Okey, I'm an American!" I stared blankly at the America blob. The other one sighed.

"We are Mochi. I am sorry for th-"

"Shut up Gay!" The other one flinched as he glared at the first. Almost like a comic, little anger signs appeared on both of their heads as they leaped at each other, beginning to tussle. I swore I could see arms appear and disappear as they started rolling around the room, bumping into the bedside table and under the bed. I jumped to my feet and stood there, hesitantly. Before I could move towards the scuffling two, I felt something rub my leg. I glanced down to see the one with the curl smiling up at me happily, visibly shaking. I felt my heart skip a beat with sympathy as I reached down, rubbing my hand on its head. It squished down slightly at my touch, causing me to flinch. I looked at it concerned, though seeing no response of pain, just a small noise that sounded like a "Vee~". I giggled as I pushed down on its head gently, astounded at the feeling of warmth that wrapped around my hand. I glanced to the bed to see the other one was staring down at the floor, jumping whenever a flash of white appeared and disappeared. It glanced up at me and blushed, turning away. I tilted my head curiously, smiling. All of a sudden my vision is filled with white. Startled, I bumped against the wall, staring up at the huge blob mass that was in front of me, in a loose humanoid form. I felt panic rising up as I reached for the handle of the door. The blob reached out an oddly shaped hand, worry creasing across its face.

"It's Okey! I'm an American!" I froze, glancing up at its face. It took me a moment but then I realized it was the Mochi thing from before. I sighed in relief as I let my hand fall to my side. I hadn't realized how tense I had been feeling recently. Randomly, the other Ivan's face flickered across my mind, causing my heart to throb for some reason, but I shook it out of my head before smiling wearily at the Mochi. It grinned back, then its face became all seriously like. "You are in danger. You are going to bring badness." I felt the smile slip from my face as I started up at him.

"What do you mean?" Instead of answering me, he started to shrink down to normal size, before turning onto the Mochi with the curl, hopping onto his back and jumping up and down.

"Wheee! I can fly!"

"Noooooo!" Tears started to form in its eyes as it tried to roll out from under the American one. I laughed nervously as I reached down to help the poor thing. Then I heard a small noise. I turned around to the door, peering at it curiously. There it was again. I tried to concentrate. The sound was low and sad. It kind of sounded strangled as it came again, a little quieter this time. I felt cold as I began to recognize a small "Mrrrow" twisted into the sound. _Could it be…? Is Russcat hurt?!_ I flung open the door, much to the surprise of the Mochis. As I ran out of the room, I heard America Mochi calling.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ignoring him, I ran down the hall, following the sound. I felt hopefully as it got louder, crossing my fingers that I wasn't too late. With every noise Russcat let out, my chest twisted with dread. I had come to love that little fur ball. Without focusing on my surroundings, I pressed my ear against the door, confirming that the noise came from there. With a deep breath, I turned the knob. At first I didn't see anything because the room was oddly dark. Then I noticed a small patch of grey fur, causing my heart to leap up in my throat. On the floor was Russcat, his fur going in all directions, matted with blood. He raised his head limply to stare up at me, letting out a small pain filled mew. The whole room went in slow motion as I reached out for him, murmuring words of comfort, trying to keep the sadness out of my voice. As my fingers brushed against his head, he shattered. I flinched as I felt instead the hard rough cover of the book, the sticker smiling up at me. I blanked. Behind me there was chuckling. I turned around cautiously, glowing at the small smile that the other Ivan wore.

"Only you would fall for such an obvious trick." I felt foolish as I continued to glare at him, folding my arms across my chest.

"What do you want?" He sighed and looked at me wistfully.

"I'm sorry it came to that… it's just you wouldn't come here for any other reason." I shook my head.

"Of course not!" He opened his mouth as if to speak but I raised my hand to quiet him, feeling a little glad that I could take control. "I know what you are going to ask next. I am not opening that book." He took a step closer, making me step backwards, nearly stepping onto the book. I felt it brush the back of my ankle, causing a shiver to run up my spine. He looked annoyed as he sighed, staring down at the floor glumly.

"Da… you probably won't. I guess no one can help me… I will just be all alone." My heart skipped a beat, though I was suspicious of his instant change of attitude. Natalia's words from days earlier run through my mind, the whole "leaving him in the end" thing. I felt a pang of sympathy, wondering if he and Ivan were really that different.

"W-what do you mean?" He glanced up at me, his red eyes clouding over. He spread out his hands helplessly as if trying to explain before slipping them into his coat pockets, shaking his head.

"I have always been caught in the worse places ever." He sighed again, running his hand through his hair. I blushed as I thought of Ivan doing that, then scolded myself. "I thought that maybe I could finally be happy. But…" He grabbed my hands without warning, pressing his lips against them. I pressed down the instinct to fight back; instead I stared up into his eyes. They really were a pretty red… Despite the edge of cruelty held in them. I had a feeling of being swept away as I continued to stare in them, beginning to lose my concentration. "I need you. You could help me! All you need to do is open the book… and I won't bother you ever again." His words sounded slurred together as his eyes softened slightly, giving me the puppy dog look. "Please? For me?" I didn't notice that his voice changed to Ivan's soft voice. I just couldn't take my eyes off of his, mesmerized by them. Without thinking, I licked my lips nervously. Slightly reluctant, I agreed, thinking it couldn't be that bad.

"I guess so…" His face lite up happily.

"Da! Spasibo!" He wrapped me up, giving me a hug. It still didn't feel right as I stared up at the ceiling. _Wait, what did he say again? Something about…_ An image of a book appeared in my mind and I smiled, slightly dazed. _That was it. The book. Ivan wanted me to open it… right?_ I glanced over at the other Ivan- or was he Ivan? I was starting to lose it slightly as my eyes lost focus. Ivan continued to smile at me as he released me. He then began to stare at my expectantly. When I didn't move, he motioned towards the book. I turned to it slowly, still debating if that was Ivan or not. With an exasperated sigh, he gently grabbed my hand, placing it on the cover. I studied it for a minute or so, watching as the stickers almost seemed to come to life, all of them turning to me and laughing, beckoning. I tilted my head, my thoughts starting to jumble up. Without warning, Ivan leaned down and whispered into my ear. "Open it." I felt sickened a little as I started to push the chains off of the cover, almost as if I was betraying someone. My hands started to shake violently as I lifted the cover up. Shadows started to spill from the pages as I mindlessly flipped through them, noting Ivan's picture in one of them with scribbles all over it, with words under it that didn't make sense to me at all. Confused, I tried to turn the page, shivering as the temperature of the room dropped instantly. A light flashed, startling me enough to drop the book, which combusted into bright blue flames. I felt myself sway as the windows busted open, causing a wind to blow into the room, tossing items around my head. My head began to pound as a hand gripped my arm. I glanced over to see the other Ivan standing there, smirking slightly. He leaned over and kissed my cheek before going out the window. I fell to my knees, suddenly feeling weaker. Before my vision clouded over, I noticed a little white form moving towards me. It was only then what just happened began to dawn on me. I tried to leap up to go after the other Ivan, only to fall back to my knees, my breathing becoming heavier. Before I could begin to worry about what I did, I felt myself fall into the darkness. The last thought that flew across my mind was _He said he would leave us alone, didn't he?_


End file.
